Who is Darren Eales? Newcastle United CEO profiled ahead of Liverpool Carabao Cup final

Newcastle United's resurgence hasn't just been fuelled by the players on the pitch but also the people behind the scenes. At the helm of the transition is CEO Darren Eales, who is the man behind the curtain steering the club's future.

In Eales' earlier days he went to Brown University in America, where he played for his college's football team while studying economics. Moving back to England, he made the switch to Cambridge University, where he studied law.

After working as a lawyer, he found himself at West Brom in their in-house legal team before working his way up the ranks at the club in the 2000s before making a move south, joining Tottenham Hotspur as club secretary in 2010 before taking on various different roles at the club.

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However, Eales was attracted to travel across the Atlantic once again, where he became president of Atlanta United in 2014, the MLS' newest expansion team. Taking on the task of building a whole new club was seemingly successful, as he led them from behind the scenes to a win in the 2018 MLS Cup.

His ability to be the overseer of change is something that looks to have impressed the PIF, who were quick to bring Eales to St James' Park as CEO.

During his time he oversaw lots of change, including the departure of Dan Ashworth and the arrival of Paul Mitchell as sporting director. Eales takes on a role more than just a CEO; he builds the whole direction of the club during its new era under the multi-billion-pound backing of the PIF.

Although the club may be in for a period of instability after Eales announced he'll be taking a step back from the club to "prioritise" his family after being diagnosed with chronic blood cancer. With a stadium announcement also expected to be made soon, he revealed he will stay in the role until the club finds a new successor to try and limit any impact.

Eales said: "Being CEO of Newcastle United is an extraordinary privilege, and I am incredibly proud to be part of the club's exciting journey. However, it has become apparent to me that now is the right time to make this decision so that I can prioritise my health and my family.

"In the short term, it will be business as usual in terms of running the club's day-to-day operations, and I will give my full support to a transitional period that will enable the board to carefully assess and appoint my successor."

Carabao Cup 2025 special edition

Newcastle United have reached Wembley again after reaching the final of the Carabao Cup. The showpiece game takes place on Sunday, March 16 and to celebrate, Newcastle Chronicle will be producing a print special edition. Costing £3.50, it will have interviews, analysis, opinion and news and will be on sale from March 5 in retailers while you can also pre-order online now.